A letter from Bill and Ann Moore serving in Japan
August 2014 - Our New Role
Dear Friends and Partners in Mission,
-2_medium250.jpeg)
Yodogawa Christian Hospital’s main building
Greetings from very warm Kobe. In our part of Japan we are blessed with long, hot and sticky summers as well as lengthy chilly winters that help us to appreciate all the more the fleeting delights of short springs and autumns. We are both well and thankful for opportunities to participate in God’s mission in Japan.
Presently our duties are focused on the leadership and administration of Japan Mission in mission partnership with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This corporation, also simply known as “Japan Mission,” is charged with the task of partnering with the PC(USA) to facilitate mission in Japan and Asia. Among other things, this involves the direct operation of a hospital chaplaincy program, the oversight of a large hospital, Yodogawa Christian Hospital (YCH) in the nearby city of Osaka, real estate and fund management, the evaluation and monitoring of mission project grants, and dealing with related legal and governmental issues. We have our office in Kobe and are assisted by a very able manager, Elder Jun Hashimoto.
-3_medium250.jpeg)
Loving care for a young patient at Yodogawa Christian Hospital
It has been an adventure transitioning from our former evangelism and new church development work to this kind of wider assignment with greater responsibilities, but both of us feel that all our prior experiences in Japan have equipped us to serve in this capacity. Especially it is gratifying to see that our Yodogawa Christian Hospital’s commitment to mission and witness is stronger than ever. Who would have imagined that the small clinic established by Japan Mission in a deprived neighborhood of Osaka nearly 60 years ago would have blossomed into an institution touching thousands of people every month with medical and spiritual care in the name of Jesus Christ? Both of us serve on the Executive Committee of the YCH Board so that Japan Mission can exercise its oversight responsibility. Bill is also responsible for leading the YCH chaplaincy program, which is staffed by six dedicated chaplains and two assistants. Their ministry to patients and their families from the neonatal unit to hospice is an inspiration.
-4_medium250.jpeg)
Fellowship around the table at Ashiya Reformed Church
Another exciting ministry is carried on by the Osaka church that is being pioneered by Japan Mission. Located near YCH, this fledgling congregation reaches out to the local community as well as to those who have come to faith through the influence of the hospital. It has especially had an effective witness to hospice patients and their families.
Using the resources that Japan Mission has been entrusted with, we are eager to support mission projects. In cooperation with YCH, for a year we operated a medical clinic in the earthquake- and tsunami-affected area of northern Japan. Rotating volunteer teams from YCH staffed a temporary clinic housed in a local church. Also, Japan Mission has for a number of years supported the ministry of the Chinese Welcome Center in downtown Kobe. This center reaches out to students who come from China to study in Japan. Often they are lonely and need encouragement and counseling as well as practical advice on living in Japan. The Chinese Welcome Center has had a remarkable evangelistic ministry with these students over the years. The present pastor of the Kobe Reformed Chinese Church was led to faith through the ministry of the Center and is now the chair of the Center’s board. Japan Mission was also able to help support a meeting in the Philippines of theological seminary educators from all over Asia. Through this event organized by World Mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) the participants were able to share their valuable experience with each other as well as to network and encourage one another.
-5_medium300.jpeg)
Newlyweds John and Kanna Moore
Since we are not serving a particular congregation since our new assignment began, we have especially enjoyed filling the pulpits of Reformed Church in Japan churches that are between pastors. Often it is difficult for rural churches to secure preachers, so we have preferred to go to the more remote locations. We have been very much encouraged by the faithfulness and witness of believers in these small congregations. They love God and their churches and even though as Christians they make up a very small minority in their communities, they serve the Lord with joy and boldness.
On a family note, in April we celebrated the wedding of our first son, John, to Kanna Livingston. Being classmates from kindergarten through high school at our local international school, it was appropriate that their wedding take place here in Kobe. It is wonderful to add a new member to the family and we very much look forward to becoming grandparents. Paul, our second son, is employed in Shenzhen, China, as a filmmaker and media developer for a technology company. Sarah has just entered a graduate program at Georgetown University.
Your prayer helps to sustain us as we seek to be faithful to our calling. Please pray that we may lead Japan Mission so that it may increasingly engage in God’s mission. Please also pray that the many churches and institutions that have been founded by the PC(USA) during its 150 years of work in Japan may continue to have a strong witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Our ministry in Japan would not be possible without the support of faithful people like yourselves, so we sincerely thank you for your gifts that support our efforts here. We invite your continued partnership and if possible, increased support. It is a joy to be able to extend your witness to Japan.
Grace and Peace,
Bill and Ann
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 234
Read more about Bill and Ann Moore's ministry
Write to Bill Moore
Write to Ann Moore
Individuals: Give online to E200388 for Bill and Ann Moore's sending and support|
Congregations: Give to D504894 for Bill and Ann Moore's sending and support
Churches are asked to send donations through your congregation’s normal receiving site (this is usually your presbytery).
